County orders tiny pub north of Fort Collins to shut off taps over licensing confusion

County officials discovered the licensing issue three years after allowing Paddler's Pub to open.

Aug. 1, 2013

A plastic cup of New Belgium Brewing Co. beer sits on a picnic table at the Paddler's Pub at Mountain Whitewater Descents in this summer 2012 photo. County inspectors ordered the pub to stop serving wine and keg beer in July after ruling it needed both a liquor and a restaurant license. / Photo courtesy/Richard M. Hackett

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County health inspectors have forced a tiny bar northwest of Fort Collins to shut off its taps and cork its wine bottles after ruling it violated health-licensing laws.

For nearly three years, The Paddler’s Pub at Mountain Whitewater Descents has offered rafters and the public a place to relax after a day on the river. Food comes from food trucks, and live music is frequently offered. Owner and raft guide Brad Modesitt says the pub has been an important addition to his bottom line after two terrible rafting seasons. It sits on the rafting company’s property on U.S. Highway 287 just west of North Shields Street.

“It’s been very frustrating,” he said of the taps being forced to go dry. “The pub was something that wasn’t water dependent. We were excited that things were finally going well. And then we got our legs cut off.”

Before opening the pub, Modesitt said he checked with both county and state officials to see what kind of license he needed and went through the required steps. He then received a county-issued license to sell beer and wine, installed his taps and started pouring.

But nearly three years later, on July 15, Larimer County health inspectors decided the pub needed both a liquor license and a restaurant license because Modesitt was selling beer out of kegs and pouring wine out of bottles. Inspectors went to the pub after someone complained about it.

County health inspectors confirm they ordered Modesitt to stop serving tap beer and wine as of July 15, ruling that those services required the additional restaurant license.

“The provided facilities do not meet the requirements of the rules and regulations so I could not approve them for licensing,” county health inspector Jim Devore said in an email. “They were directed to discontinue service of tap beer.”

Modesitt said getting a retail food license seems unnecessary, and to find out he needed it after nearly three years of building his business is even more frustrating. The pub still is allowed to serve canned and bottled beer, but Modesitt said business has been a fraction of what it was since the county stepped in. He said Fort Collins residents prefer their beer from kegs.

Modesitt said he’s considering applying for the restaurant license, but remains frustrated that multiple county employees inspected the pub before it even opened, approved the construction and other work, but never pointed out he needed the second license.

Now, three kegs of beer sit outside the pub on U.S. Highway 287, and the tap handles have been unscrewed. Modesitt said he’s hoping both rafters and locals will return to the bar, knowing he’s still open for business and serving alcohol.

“It’s beer,” he said. “We’re not a butcher shop. Why do we need that license?”